Vehicle interior parts may be provided with leather or premium material coverings that are hand stitched to secure the covering and provide a luxury trim option. Examples of interior trim parts that are gripped by vehicle occupants include retractable grab handles on the headliner above the doors, steering wheels, and pillar mounted fixed grab handles. The wrapped parts are fully assembled and then wrapped and hand stitched to finish the part. One drawback of hand stitching is the added cost of the hand stitching step and added process steps. In addition, hand stitching may create gaps or wrinkles in the covering if the hand stitching is not carefully performed. Gaps or wrinkles adversely affect the final appearance of the parts and may result in added scrap or repair costs.
This disclosure is directed to solving the above problems and other problems as summarized below.